


A Numbing Kind Of Cold

by MediocreMosquito



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Good Brother Diego Hargreeves, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Season/Series 01, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Sick Klaus Hargreeves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 06:16:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18404822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MediocreMosquito/pseuds/MediocreMosquito
Summary: Takes place when the Hargreeves are about 13.After a long night in the mausoleum, a sick and freezing Klaus with nowhere to go ends up stumbling into Diego's room.





	1. Chapter 1

In the dead silence of a cold and windy night, Diego hears a cough from outside his door. It was a gruesome, scraping cough, and Diego reaches under his pillow case to feel for his knife, the sound disturbing him. His door swings open suddenly, and he prepares himself for the altercation, but the figure he finds standing in his doorway is less than threatening. 

“Klaus?” Diego pulls back his covers and walks over to the boy who had yet to move. “What’s up, man?” he questions casually, though he could tell that something was most certainly wrong. He grabs his brother’s arm and drops it immediately, startled at how cold he was, and the limb falls back to his side lifelessly. 

“Klaus?” he questions again, and this time the boy startles, making eye contact and clearing his throat.

“Yes?” he responds nonchalantly, somehow, as if there was nothing wrong, as if he had no explaining to do. His brother grabs his arm again, realizing from his silhouette that he was shivering, almost violently. On instinct, he pulls his brother from where he stands, closing the door behind him, and walks him over to the bed. He watches uneasily as Klaus shuffles slowly then stumbles and catches himself, but he doesn’t acknowledge it. He coughs again, softly this time but still just as grating.

“You’re freezing,” Diego breaths, concern now taking precedence over the initial confusion of seeing his brother so late in the night. “You just get back?”

Klaus nods and coughs gently, wheezing, his eyes focused ahead unseeingly, and he draws his knees up onto the bed to wrap his arms around them, still in his uniform. Up close Diego now realizes that his legs and arms were scratched, something the boy had likely done himself, but the skin wasn’t broken and he had more important things to think about. 

“Uh, wait, hold on,” Diego flounders awkwardly, grabbing his blanket and drawing it up around Klaus’ shoulders, who was shivering all the same. “There. That’s better.” There was no response. What the hell had happened during this training session? I mean, it probably wasn’t the best idea to ask and risk freaking him out all over, but-

Diego’s thoughts were cut short as Klaus coughed again, starting softly but growing in intensity, scraping from the bottom of his lungs. He wheezes on the inhale and coughs more violently, painfully, uncurling his legs to sit up to steady himself. Diego sits off to the side, helplessly, and Klaus continues, doubling over and hacking, his eyes shut tight and his hands braced on his knees. He nearly rolled forward off of the bed from the violence of it, which breaks Diego from his stupor and he grabs Klaus’ upper arm, his hand curling all the way around and damn, had he always been this skinny?

He pulls Klaus to his chest to steady him on his next wheezing inhale, and he coughs more violently and then stops all at once, sagging against Diego’s chest and taking deep, rattling inhales. 

“J-Jesus, Klaus. I’m gonna get mom,” he starts, but Klaus grabs the front of his loose pajamas and shakes his head. 

“It’s fine,” he rasps, and before Diego can respond, he looks him in the eyes with a pleading expression, so vulnerable compared to Klaus’ usual confidence, so helpless, and whispers “please”.

Diego nods, wrapping his free arm around his brother’s shoulders and rubbing up and down to generate heat. He could feel Klaus’ breathing against his collar bone, slowly and mechanically, and even his breath is cold. He coughs once, then swallows and grits his teeth, undoubtedly trying to avoid another fit. 

He’s not sending him back to his room alone, not like this, so Diego closes his eyes and knows the night will be a long one.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn’t long before Klaus falls asleep like that, wrapped in a blanket with his face pressed against Diego’s chest, and despite his concern Diego manages to fall asleep too, his back pressed up against the wall.

He wakes up hot. It’s suffocating, and Diego stirs to realize that the heat is radiating from his brother. He grabs Klaus’ shoulder to rouse him, cringing at the warmth.

“Klaus. Hey, Klaus!”

He opens his eyes groggily and looks around, then realizing his surroundings, suddenly pushes himself off of his brother. He coughs once, twice, muffled into his hand, and then smirks at Diego.

“Wow, cuddling. I love it. You wanna hold hands too?” He murmurs and winces at how sore his throat is. It’s a reassuring development from last night- Klaus was practically catatonic, but, God, the fever.

At the lack of response Klaus opened his mouth to speak again, to satisfy his constant need to fill the empty space, but instead he coughs raggedly and doesn’t stop. He chokes on his next inhale and coughs more violently, and Diego’s hands hover uselessly. Klaus grabs his shoulder to steady himself and hacks horribly.

Diego finally find his breath and pulls Klaus towards his before he collapses. “Easy, easy,” he reassures, and the fit tapers down until Klaus is laying against Diego’s chest and wheezing painfully. “I got you.”

“Sorry,” Klaus mumbles pathetically. Diego smooths his palm against his forehead, then presses the back of his hand against his cheek and neck, which would be terribly awkward if he weren’t so worried.

“You’re burning.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s bad, Klaus.”

“Yeah.”

“I need to get mom.” Klaus closes his eyes and focuses on breathing, his chest burning, and in a moment of weakness Diego reaches up and rubs his back, feeling the warmth of his skin even over his shirt.

Diego would get mom soon, and if Klaus ignored him for the next few days he would swear it was out of anger and not embarrassment, but not yet. For now they would sit there in the cold room and just breathe, and maybe that was enough.


End file.
